- Rankin Elementary School
- Getting Ready For School
Katherine Goodpasture
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Getting Ready for School
Routines
All children benefit from regular routines at home. Such as:
· Having regular sleep hours. Make sure your child gets enough sleep (8-10 hours each night).
· Having regular meals and meal times, especially breakfast. Pay attention to nutrition.
· Having routine ways to do daily activities.
- Meal time routines – setting table, sitting down, eating, cleaning up.
- Bed time routine – getting ready for bed in a usual fashion every night, doing homework, preparing clothes and materials for the next day, bathing, saying goodnight.
- Getting ready for daycare or school routine – breakfast, bathing, getting dressed, packing backpack, preparing lunch or snacks.
- Cleaning up routine – cleaning up after meals, playtime, bathing.
- Hygiene – brushing teeth or bathing at a regular time, taking care of clothes by hanging or folding, placing dirty ones in a specific place.
Communication and Behavior
· Have clear expectations of responsibilities and behavior. For example, “In the library you use a quiet voice”.
· Use natural consequences, “If you hit, people do not want to play with you”.
· Replace inappropriate behaviors with words
· Such as grabbing a toy, “Oh, you want the toy, say ‘my turn please’, then give them the toy.
· Or screaming and stomping when a toy doesn’t work, “Do you need help? Say
help please’”.
· Model good communication:
- Slow, calm speech
- Quiet voice instead of yelling
- Take turns
- Wait for an answer
· Listen until your child is finished talking. Do not rush or interrupt them.
*Adapted from Austin Independent School District’s School and Communication booklet titled: Preparing your child to communicate in school. This booklet was created by Penny McClard, MS, CCC-SLP, Kate Poueymirou, MA, CCC-SLP and Shannon Williams, MA, CCC-SLP.